At the 2016 AHIF (Africa Hotel Investment Conference), Carlson Rezidor announced the signing of five new Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Angola’s major cities of Luanda, Cabinda, Benguela, Lubango and Namibe. The agreement was concluded with the Instituto de Fomento Turistico de Angola (InfoTur), a public institution charged with promoting tourism in the country. The five hotels will be operated by The Rezidor Hotel Group.

All five Park Inn by Radisson hotels are under construction and will open within 18 months, and jointly offer more than 650 rooms for domestic and international travelers to Angola.

The five hotels are at high-profile locations across five of Angola’s major commercial hubs that either have a rich natural resource base or are of high value to the Angolan government in terms of future growth and expansion in the country. The Park Inn hotels in Luanda, Cabinda, Benguela and Lubango are at an advanced stage of construction. The Park Inn hotel in Namibe is already open and will go through an extensive brand transformation to match the Park Inn by Radisson global standards. The Park Inn hotels will offer an international midscale hospitality experience in Angola featuring all-day dining restaurants and bars, sub-divisible meeting rooms, gyms, outside terraces, swimming pools, parking bays and unique service standards.

Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said during AHIF, “We are proud to partner with Instituto de Fomento Turistico de Angola, to enter a new African country, and bring a portfolio of five world-class Park Inn by Radisson hotels to Angola. InfoTur is a strong local partner, who understands that infrastructure development can have a transformative impact on the local economy. We are confident that this partnership will unlock value for all stakeholders. Our timely openings will make meaningful economic contributions and create local employment opportunities. We are looking forward to growing our business and making a real contribution to Angola’s travel and tourism.”

Carlson Rezidor Senior Vice President Business Development Africa & Indian Ocean, Andrew McLachlan, says the signing of this portfolio provides Carlson Rezidor with a unique opportunity for a quick entry into Angola with country coverage of the midscale brand. He added, “Africa is our largest growth market. The portfolio of five new Park Inn hotels in a new African market form part of the strategy to build and open more than 23,000 rooms in Africa by the end of 2020.”